Autistics to attend Attwood event
Donation protected
There is a Tony Attwood event in Sheffield on 15th May 2019.
It is extremely common for events about autism to exclude autistic people. This event costs £200 the audience are likely to be professionals and their tickets will be paid for by their work.
Autistic people are less likely to be in employment for many societal reasons and often cannot afford these prices (there are discounts for parents of autistic children but none are advertised for autistic people).
I have attended many talks by Tony Attwood and they are aimed at non autistic people. He perpetuates harmful stereotypes, his assertions are often not evidence based and his jokes are offensive. It was hard to sit in the audience as a newly diagnosed autistic person. He is aware of the views of autistic people but has not changed his talks (based on a recent interview I heard). See this blog post for more information:
https://shonadavison.co.uk/tony-attwood-coming-to-sheffield/
All events about autism should be accessible to autistic people so that we can critique what is being said and challenge it where necessary.
For that reason I am fundraising for autistic activists to attend the event. Often a response to problematic organisations or events is to boycott them but in this case I believe we need people there tweeting, blogging and critiquing. If we boycott it will still sell out, we are not the target audience. #NothingAboutUsWithoutUs
This fundraiser will cover ticket price for Dr. Kate Fox (who will cover her own travel costs) and ticket price and train fares Agony Autie (who is sorting out own accommodation and taxis). A third autistic activist has offered to fund himself.
It is extremely common for events about autism to exclude autistic people. This event costs £200 the audience are likely to be professionals and their tickets will be paid for by their work.
Autistic people are less likely to be in employment for many societal reasons and often cannot afford these prices (there are discounts for parents of autistic children but none are advertised for autistic people).
I have attended many talks by Tony Attwood and they are aimed at non autistic people. He perpetuates harmful stereotypes, his assertions are often not evidence based and his jokes are offensive. It was hard to sit in the audience as a newly diagnosed autistic person. He is aware of the views of autistic people but has not changed his talks (based on a recent interview I heard). See this blog post for more information:
https://shonadavison.co.uk/tony-attwood-coming-to-sheffield/
All events about autism should be accessible to autistic people so that we can critique what is being said and challenge it where necessary.
For that reason I am fundraising for autistic activists to attend the event. Often a response to problematic organisations or events is to boycott them but in this case I believe we need people there tweeting, blogging and critiquing. If we boycott it will still sell out, we are not the target audience. #NothingAboutUsWithoutUs
This fundraiser will cover ticket price for Dr. Kate Fox (who will cover her own travel costs) and ticket price and train fares Agony Autie (who is sorting out own accommodation and taxis). A third autistic activist has offered to fund himself.
Organizer
Shona Murphy
Organizer
